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Supporting Children with Intellectual Disabilities/Autism in a Residential Treatment Facility
It is important for children with autism and intellectual disabilities to remain living at home, or in the least restrictive environment with appropriate supports, whenever possible. However, at times, a child’s challenging behaviors can pose such a significant threat to themselves or others, it...
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Early and Intensive Behavioral Intervention Today
In the 1970s, O. Ivar Lovaas embarked on research that would change the way we think about trajectories for young children with autism. He went on to publish a pivotal study entitled “Behavioral Treatment and Normal Education and Intellectual Functioning in Young Autistic Children,” which...
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Achieving Meaningful Behavioral Outcomes in the School Setting
SEARCH Day Program is a private, non-profit school in Ocean Township, New Jersey. Approximately 80 students, ages 3-21, are currently enrolled in the program. The school embraces research-based teaching strategies that are derived from applied behavior analysis while taking a multi-discipline...
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Function-Based Interventions for Escape-Maintained Problem Behavior
Functional‐analysis research demonstrates that negative reinforcement is the most common variable maintaining problem behavior (Hanley, et al., 2003). That is, individuals engage in problem behavior to end or escape non-preferred tasks or activities. When this occurs, they miss out on numerous...
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Ethical Implementation of ABA Programming in Schools: A Guide for Professionals and Parents
For over fifty years, research has demonstrated the efficacy of applied behavioral methods in reducing inappropriate behavior and in increasing communication and appropriate behavior. According to the Association for Science in Autism Treatments (ASAT), ABA is the only scientifically validated...
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Identifying and Navigating Behavioral Strategies in IEPs: How Can These Translate to Home?
An Individualized Education Plan (IEP) can be an overwhelming document for families, especially deciphering which interventions are appropriate to use by parents in the home or community setting. An IEP is created by a multidisciplinary team, including parents and the educational team, that...
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Use of a Specialized PBIS Framework to Organize and Deliver Evidence-Based Practices to Children with Autism
A significant challenge facing autism service providers is the effective and consistent delivery of evidence-based practices to the children they serve. A number of research reviews, including the National Standards Project (Rue, Knox, Welchons, Murzycki, Pollack, & Class, 2015) and the...
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Programming for Multiple Siblings with ASD: Tips to Promote Family Success
Current data suggest that if a family has one child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the chance their second child will also have that diagnosis is 2-18% (Autism Speaks, 2020). If the family has two or more children with ASD, the risk their next child will also have ASD increases to 30% (The...
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Help for Parents Managing Challenging Behaviors for Children with ASD During COVID-19
The last several weeks have resulted in significant changes for families, as parents and children are now spending most of their time together in the home. Many parents are trying to balance work, child-care, and distance learning for their children, while also trying to manage children’s...
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The Impact of COVID-19 on Families
COVID-19, also known as the Coronavirus, has impacted us in many ways. Financially; there are millions of people unemployed due to the impact of this virus. Mentally and emotionally; individuals have isolated themselves due to stay-at-home orders, only going out for the essentials to places such as...
